Detachable articles, such as storage containers, are often externally mounted to utility vehicles. Such articles can be used as toolboxes, for storage of the tools necessary for maintenance of the vehicle, and for storage of tools for installation tasks and minor repairs. For example, it is known to mount a bracket near the steps of the John Deere 6400 series tractor, and to attach thereto a toolbox. Since these storage articles are attached to the exterior sides of the vehicle, and because of the small amount of available space, known toolboxes are relatively small and permit only a few tools to be stored. When the utility vehicle is away from where it is usually kept for extended periods, many items that should be brought along cannot be or must be accommodated elsewhere, since there is no room in the toolbox. Such items may include chains, attachment devices, spare parts, a large hammer, protective clothing, and rubber boots.
Modern agricultural tractors utilize most of the space that traditional tool boxes would normally mount. Customers demand a larger tool box to carry many tools and larger items like log chains. Certain forward mount tool box designs take the space that is normally reserved for suitcase weights. This limits the tractor operator's ability to ballast the tractor properly.
K & M Manufacturing provides a variety of weight or ballast boxes. Some K & M weight box models are mounted ahead of the ballast weights and are supported by brackets which are coupled to the ballast weights. Some K & M weight box models are mounted in place of the ballast weights and are supported by brackets which are hooked to the ballast weight support arm. In all these designs, the brackets are fixedly attached to the box and the separation between the boxes is not adjustable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,397, issued in 2003 to Teich, and assigned to the assignee of the present application shows an article mounted in front of a ballast weight. A mounting bar projects from a rear wall of the article and into a forward opening recess formed in the ballast weight. The mounting bar is coupled to the ballast weight by a pin which extends vertically through bores in the ballast weight and a bore in the mounting bar. As a result, at least some of the ballast weights must be modified or adapted to receive and couple to the mounting bar.